Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago
| Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago | |
|---|---|
| File:Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago - Front Gate.jpg The main entrance to the waterpark. | |
| Slogan | Best Waterpark in the Nation! |
| Location | Gurnee, Illinois, United States |
| Coordinates | 42°22′06″N 87°56′19″W / 42.368417°N 87.938705°WCoordinates: 42°22′06″N 87°56′19″W / 42.368417°N 87.938705°W Fatal error: The format of the coordinate could not be determined. Parsing failed. |
| Theme | Tropical island |
| Owner | Six Flags |
| General Manager | John Krajnak |
| Opened | 2005 |
| Previous names | Six Flags Hurricane Harbor |
| Operating season | May - September |
| Status | Operating |
| Area | 20 acres (8.1 ha) |
| Pools | 2 pools |
| Water slides | 25 water slides |
| Children's areas | 2 children's areas |
| Website | Official website |
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago, often shortened to Hurricane Harbor Chicago, is a 20-acre (8.1 ha) water park located in Gurnee, Illinois, United States, adjacent to Six Flags Great America. Owned and operated by Six Flags, the park opened in 2005 as Six Flags Hurricane Harbor.[1]
It was expanded in 2011 with the addition of Riptide Bay,[2] and was renamed to Hurricane Harbor Chicago for the 2021 season, becoming separate from Six Flags Great America.[3]
History
Development and opening
Six Flags Entertainment Village
In fall of 1997, a proposed $400 million project named the "Six Flags Entertainment Village" was announced, which would be built on an industrial zone across from the highway.[4] The 134-acre (54 ha) entertainment complex would feature a 400-room hotel, water park, shopping & dining space, a theater, seasonal housing for employees, and a 8,000 to 12,000 seat stadium. The project was expected to generate $5 million to 6 million in tax revenue, along with the creation of 1,000 full-time jobs[5]
In November 1998, a 10-member citizens group named the Citizens United for a Residential Village of Gurnee (CURV) was formed, and opposed the entertainment village, worried the entertainment village would congest roads and neighborhoods, along with raising tax prices.[4]
Grand opening
In 2005, the park announced the expansion of the Hurricane Harbor water park. It was the seventh Hurricane Harbor water park to open at a Six Flags park since the branding was created in 1995. The new 13-acre (53,000 m2) water park, replacing a parking lot area behind Viper and Raging Bull, featured 15 new attractions such as Hurricane Bay, a 500,000-gallon wave pool, and Bahama Mama and Bubba Tubba, two family slides.[6] The new water park was a success and boosted attendance by 24% in 2005.[7]
Further expansion
In 2006, a new "Tornado" water slide was opened, although to some scandal, as reports surfaced of rider injuries early in the 2006 season.[8][9]
In 2011, the 3-acre Riptide Bay area was added to the park, which originally came with a surf simulator, 5 water-slides, a Caribbean-inspired pool and luxury cabanas. It replaced the Space Shuttle America motion simulator ride.[2]
On August 29, 2019, the park announced a new water coaster named Tsunami Surge, built by WhiteWater West. The ride would be the tallest water coaster at 86 feet (26 m) tall and reach a top speed of 25 miles per hour (40 km/h).[10] In March 2020, the opening date for the 2020 season was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[11] Due to the delay of Tsunami Surge's construction, the water coaster had also delayed opening until 2021.[12]
On July 20, 2020, the park re-opened with COVID-19 protocols in place, such as a reservation system and a thermal imaging screening. Around this time, the name "Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago" was used to refer to the water park section of Six Flags Great America.[13][14]
On March 22, 2021, Hurricane Harbor was separated from its main park, Six Flags Great America, to give guests an option on whether they would like to visit the dry or water park, and was officially given the name "Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago".[15][16] In earlier years, the park had started to charge guests to upgrade their one-day ticket so they could receive access to the water park.[17]
On May 29, 2021, Tsunami Surge Water Coaster officially opened to the public as the park's 25th water attraction after a year-long construction delay.[18]
List of attractions
| Name | Image | Year opened | Description | Manfacturer | Model | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wahoo Racer | 2005 | 6 lane water slide | ProSlide Technology Inc. | OctopusRacer | Moderate | |
| Hurricane Bay | File:Hurricane Bay Pool.jpg | 2005 | Wave pool | Aquatic Development Group Inc. | WaveTek | Moderate |
| Hurricane Mountain | 2005 | 4 tube slides | ProSlide Technology Inc. | Pipeline | Mild | |
| Tornado | File:Six Flags Great America-Tornado 2006.jpg | 2006 | A funnel shaped tube slides that uses a four person "cloverleaf" tube. | ProSlide Technology Inc. | Tornado 60 | Max |
| Buccaneer Bay | 2005 | Kids water playground associated with Skull Island | N/A | N/A | Mild | |
| Castaway Creek | File:Castaway Creek SFHH.jpg | 2005 | Lazy river | N/A | N/A | Mild |
| Paradise Plunge and Riptide | 2005 | 2 separate speed slides | ProSlide Technology Inc. | Turbo Twisters | Max | |
| Vortex and Typhoon | 2005 | 2 separate "CannonBowls" slides | ProSlide Technology Inc. | CannonBowl | Moderate | |
| Bahama Mama and Bubba Tubba | File:Bahama Mama and Bubba Tubba.jpg | 2005 | 2 separate family raft slides | ProSlide Technology Inc. | Mammoth | Moderate |
| Skull Island | 2005 | SCS Interactive Discovery Treehouse/WaterColors with slides, 66 feet tall | ProSlide Technology Inc. | N/A | Mild | |
| Hammerhead and Barracuda | 2005 | 2 separate tube slides | ProSlide Technology Inc. | Atomic Coasters | Max |
Riptide Bay
Opening in 2011, this 3-acre (12,000 m2) area features a double-sided surf simulator, a Caribbean-inspired activity pool, 6 thrilling waterslides, luxury cabanas and more.[2][19]
| Name | Image | Year opened | Description | Manufacturer | Model | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surf Rider | 2011 | Surf simulator featuring 5-foot (1.5 m) waves with speeds up to 30 mph (48 km/h) | Wave Loch[20] | N/A | Moderate | |
| Mega Wedgie and Dive Bomber | File:Dive Bomber and Mega Wedgie.jpg | 2011 | Mega Wedgie: A pair of Plummets featuring 50-foot (15 m) drops and a top speed of 40 mph (64 km/h).
Dive Bomber: A pair of featuring a Superloops 50-foot (15 m) drop and a top speed of 40 mph (64 km/h) through horizontal loops while sliding through transparent tubes. |
ProSlide | FreeFALL (Mega Wedgie) Superloop (Dive Bomber) | Max |
| Monsoon Lagoon | 2011 | A 14,000-square-foot (1,300 m2) pool featuring two play elements, a waterfall and seven spray columns | N/A | N/A | Mild | |
| Wipeout | 2011 | A ProSlide Tantrum featuring a 35-foot (11 m) drop and two funnels. | ProSlide | Tornado 24 | Max | |
| Tsunami Surge Water Coaster | File:TsunamiSurgeWaterCoaster.jpg | 2021 | An 86-foot (26 m) tall water coaster with 5 turn-arounds, 5 drops at a speed of 28 mph (45 km/h) with the claim of the tallest of its kind in the world.[21] | WhiteWater West | Master Blaster | Max |
Awards
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago, along with WhiteWater West and architecture firm Ramaker won the 2021 Leading Edge Award from the World Waterpark Association for their work on "Tsunami Surge Water Coaster".[22][23]
See also
- Incidents at Six Flags parks
- Six Flags Great America
- Six Flags Hurricane Harbor
- Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Rockford
References
- ↑ "Six Flags Announces Reopening of Six Flags Great America Parks". Businesswire. 2021-03-22. Retrieved 2021-03-22.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Susnjara, Bob (September 2, 2010). "Great America plans to expand water park". Daily Herald. Retrieved September 12, 2010.
- ↑ "You'll need separate tickets for Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, Great America this summer". Daily Herald. 2021-04-08. Retrieved 2022-08-17.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Grano, Laurie (November 16, 1998). "Great America expansion not amusing to all". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 24, 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Stark, Steven J. (February 12, 1998). "New Entertainment Village at Six Flags still in works despite sale". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
- ↑ Masse, Ryan (2005-04-28). "Dells owners express little concern with Six Flags park". The Badger Herald. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
- ↑ "Theme Park Attendance". CoasterGrotto.com. Archived from the original on 2007-06-26. Retrieved 2022-08-15. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Six Flags Great America Adds Giant Tornado Attraction To Hurricane Harbor Water Park". Ultimate Waterpark. January 14, 2006. Retrieved July 4, 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Girl gets stitches after ride fall at Six Flags". Chicago Tribune. June 10, 2006. Retrieved August 27, 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Newton, Jim. "Tsunami Surge: Six Flags Great America plans new 86-foot-tall water ride in Gurnee". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
- ↑ Coleman, Emily K. (June 2, 2022). "Hurricane Harbor may reopen soon, but Six Flags Great America still questionable". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 22, 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Hurricane Harbor anchored by WhiteWater West's Tsunami Surge". Amusement Today. 2021-07-08. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
- ↑ Luc, Karie Angell (June 21, 2020). "Hurricane Harbor opens in Gurnee with coronavirus measures in place". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
- ↑ Valade, Paul (June 20, 2020). "Hurricane Harbor's reopening in Gurnee makes a splash". Daily Herald. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
- ↑ "Hurricane Harbor to Open This Spring Separate From Six Flags". NBC Chicago. 2021-04-02. Retrieved 2022-08-16. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Alleman, Annie (April 14, 2021). "They're back! Six Flags Great America opens April 24 and Hurricane Harbor opens May 29". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 22, 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Guide to Hurricane Harbor Chicago - Visit Lake County - Official Travel Site". Visit Lake County. Retrieved 2022-08-16.
- ↑ "World's Tallest Water Coaster Tsunami Surge Makes a Splash at Hurricane Harbor Chicago". Businesswire. 2021-05-27. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
- ↑ "Six Flags Entertainment Corporation Investor Meeting Presentation". Six Flags. November 4, 2010. Retrieved November 7, 2010.
- ↑ "Surf Rider - Hurricane Harbor Chicago". Six Flags. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
- ↑ "Tsunami Surge water coaster now open at Hurricane Harbor Chicago". Blooloop. 2021-06-02. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
- ↑ Whittaker, Adam (November 4, 2021). "WWA Show returns to form with trade show and awards". Blooloop. Retrieved August 26, 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Coates, Charlotte (October 27, 2021). "WhiteWater recognised with three WWA Leading Edge Awards". Blooloop. Retrieved August 26, 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help)
External links
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